It is the start of a crucial period for Tottenham Hotspur, so can they continue their impressive start to the campaign?
Having accumulated 14 points so far, Spurs begin the weekend third in the Premier League table, following a 2-1 victory over Leeds United before the international break; Mathys Tel and Mohammed Kudus the scorers.
Next up, Sunday’s visit from Aston Villa commences a very tough looking fixture list for Thomas Frank’s team, who will take on Everton (A), Chelsea (H), Manchester United (H) and then Arsenal (A) in their subsequent four league fixtures.
If the Lilywhites are going to collect a respectable number of points from these matches, Frank must make one key star, reminiscent of Dele Alli, a central figure, both literally and figuratively.
Dele Alli's rise and fall at Tottenham
Last month, Dele Alli was released by Como, having made just one appearance for the Lariani, this a nine minute cameo against AC Milan at San Siro in March, cut short as he was sent off.
That was his first, and so far only, appearance for anyone for 748 days, back in the footballing wilderness at the age of just 29.
In his pomp though, Dele was one of the best midfielders in the world, earning 37 England caps, starting against Colombia, Sweden and Croatia as the Three Lions reached a first World Cup semi-final in 28 years back in 2018.
For Tottenham too, as the graphic below demonstrates, he made 269 appearances for Tottenham, directly involved in 126 goals, a key figure in Mauricio Pochettino’s incredibly strong side.
During this period, Pochettino labelled him “one of the most talented players in England”, while teammate Harry Kane stated “Dele has everything. He scores goals, makes runs, creates chances. He’s an unbelievable player”.
That ability to both create chances as a midfielder but also score goals like a centre-forward is what made prime Dele unique, so which member of the current Spurs squad could replicate this?
Tottenham's new Dele Alli
During a pre-season friendly against Newcastle in Seoul, James Maddison ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament, ruling him out for, probably, the entirety of this season.
Thus, Tottenham acted fast, knowing that they needed to add some creativity, so, after failing in the attempt to sign Eberechi Eze, acquired Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig for £52m, who isn’t a bad alternative.
The Dutch international has been highly-rated for many years now, making his senior debut for Paris Saint-Germain, before really announcing himself on loan at PSV Eindhoven, scoring 22 goals and registering 11 assists during the 2022/23.
More recently, he has been at RB Leipzig, certainly impressing during his two seasons in Saxony, with Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout labelling him a “game changer”, while his market value has now soared to as much as £97m, as per CIES.
The Dutch international has featured in each of Tottenham’s last four Premier League matches, starting three of them, but is yet to score for Spurs, his sole assist coming on debut against West Ham.
So, let’s take a look at his statistics so far.
Shots
9
5th
Shots per 90
1.94
4th
Shot-creating actions
9
5th
Attempted take-ons
18
3rd
Progressive carries
16
5th
Carries into final 3rd
12
3rd
As the table notes, Simons has pretty impressive attacking statistics at Tottenham so far this season, despite the lack of tangible end product.
However, the majority of his minutes have come as a left-winger, which is very much not his best position, significantly more likely to thrive in a number ten role.
Well, against Leeds a fortnight ago, he was finally deployed through the middle, flanked by Mohammed Kudus and Wilson Odobert, with Mathys Tel leading the line.
This has to be the set-up Frank uses going forward, especially in matches where Tottenham are going to be dominating territory and possession.
The recent 1-1 home draw with bottom of the table Wolves the prime example of this, with Simons shunted out to the left flank, with João Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur both starting at the base of midfield, which felt unnecessarily cautious.
Simons scored ten Bundesliga goals last season, the second-most of any midfielder, behind only Jamal Musiala, showing that he can be a goal-scoring threat when utilised correctly.
In his prime at Spurs, Dele was unplayable as a goal-scoring number ten, and Simons has shown similar attacking instincts at previous clubs, so he needs to be given attacking freedom in a similar way.
